Deputies arrest 18-year-old for bringing airsoft gun to Newport High School football game

A young man was arrested last week for attending Newport High School’s homecoming football game with a realistic airsoft gun concealed in his waistband.

A news release from the Pend Oreille County Sheriff’s Office said school staff approached an off-duty deputy during the game Friday evening, believing 18-year-old Jonathon D.J. Hodge might have been armed with a real pistol.

The deputy called in other deputies and the school superintendent pointed them to Hodge, who was detained without incident, the news release said. The airsoft gun closely resembled a 1911 .45-caliber pistol. Hodge also carried extra pellets and a spare carbon dioxide cartridge used to power the gun.

“Hodge had earlier inquired if there would be security at the game and later told deputies he knew he was not supposed to bring the gun to school,” the news release said. “He also indicated that he thought if something happened he might be able to stop an attack and he wanted to show it to his friends.”

Hodge was booked into the Pend Oreille County Jail and faces a charge of possessing a dangerous weapon on school grounds, the news release said. An online jail roster indicated he was still in custody Monday evening.

It wasn’t immediately clear if Hodge was a student at the high school when he was arrested.